Austin and Patterson would be meh for me. I'm fine with them as prospects, but it would hurt to use a top 10 pick on a WR after we have picked one in the 1st 2 of the last 4 or 5 years.

I'd prefer to wait until the 2nd or 3rd to grab a WR if we want one. That's where the value is in my mind. Allen, Hopkins, Hunter, Patton, Woods, Da'Rick, TWilliams, Dobson, and Bailey would all be really solid additions.

Right now I'd be happiest with Ziggy or Star, but Werner or one of the corners will also be fine.

Also if we could get someone like Long or Winters in the 3rd I'd be a very happy man.

Right now...here are our most likely options at the #10 pick (in no particular order)...

OG Chance Warmack / OG Jonathan Cooper
Many scouts are grading Warmack and Cooper about the same, which is to say that they both look like top-10 talents in this draft who will likely slide only because of their position. Warmack is a bit more of a mauler, while Cooper is more of a finesse blocker. I think it's a mistake to dismiss either player from our board with the signings of Levitre and Turner, as the latter is purely a versatile backup in my mind. (To be fair, Turner is certainly an improvement over Matthews/Lutui in that interior backup role.) Because Levitre is more of a finesse OG, I think we'd be more likely to pick Warmack at that #10 spot if we went in that direction -- especially with our only other mauler (Stewart) getting a bit older.

CB Dee Milliner / CB Xavier Rhodes / CB Desmond Trufant
We clearly need another CB on the roster with Mouton's unlikely return and with Verner in the last year of his contract. The team has shown a little bit of interest in some FA CBs this offseason; however, they haven't pursued the bigger names (Asomugha, Jammer, Grimes, Winfield, Gamble, etc.). Milliner is grading out as the top CB among scouts, with both Rhodes and Trufant rising lately to the point where all three could potentially be chosen in the first half of Round 1. Having seen Milliner play a lot, he's certainly got skills and is extremely physical; however, he's never struck me as a #1 CB. (To me, he's a very good #2 CB, which we already have with McCourty and Verner.) But right now it's looking like Milliner will probably be gone by #10 anyway, leaving Rhodes and Trufant as more likely CB options there.

DE Ziggy Ansah / DE Bjorn Werner
Both Ansah and Werner are talented, high-motor guys who are still raw and relatively new to football. Aside from the freakish measurables and the fact that he's raw, I don't really see the Ansah / Pierre-Paul comparison. To me, Ansah looks much stronger against the run that JPP and not quite as good as a pass-rusher -- though, to be fair, he wasn't asked to rush very often in BYU's system and he's got the athleticism to develop into a pass-rusher in the NFL. Werner has a high ceiling, but how much did his draft stock benefit from the talent around him at FSU? Basically...both are risk-reward picks, although Ansah seems in some ways to be both the "safer" of the two and probably the better fit for the Titans, as we look for someone who can play the early run-downs with Wimbley coming in on pass-rushing situations. However, the reality is that both players could easily be gone by #10.

DT Star Lotulelei / DT Sheldon Richardson / DT Sharrif Floyd
The Titans have a young and intriguing DT core with Casey, Martin, Hill, and Klug. However, none of these guys strike me as real "game-changers" in the sense of being guys that opposing coaches have to really account for each week. Thus, f Lotulelei, Richardson, and/or Floyd are sitting there at #10, then I think you have to at least consider them as options. While I like both Floyd and Richardson, neither has the size/speed combination of Star -- who, despite some lingering health concerns and a questionable motor, has that rare Haynesworth-like potential. If we took one of these DTs, could we possible kick Klug out to that run-stuffing DE spot like we tried to do with Jason Jones? Again...something to think about...

WR Cordarrelle Patterson / S Kenny Vaccarro / OLB Jarvis Jones
These are the "wildcard" picks in my mind. The Titans are clearly concerned about WR, as they've been linked to several FA WRs this offseason. When you consider that both Damien Williams and Kenny Britt are near the end of their contracts and that Nate Washington is highly unlikely to be on-roster after this upcoming season (if he makes it that long), then you can perhaps understand this concern. Even though we've signed both Wilson and Pollard this offseason, neither is a long-term solution at SS; and Griffin could also be gone after next season as well -- which might explain the team's interest in Vaccarro, who is the top-rated safety and someone that we interviewed at the combine. Lastly, Jones was regarded as one of the top 2-3 prospects in this draft until health-concerns became a topic of conversation -- despite the fact that he's been cleared and played last year with his medical condition. (Is his small draft-stock fall a result of OVER-analysis, which we see with some players every draft?) Even though Jones doesn't really fit our current DEF system at all, he at least deserves consideration if he drops to the #10 based on pure game-changing talent and potential.

Basically, in light of the FA moves we've made thus far, the front-office now has lots of flexibility with their picks. As a result, I'm EXTREMELY excited to see what we do with this draft. As I've noted here, in my mind, we've got at least thirteen (13!!!) players that we could realistically have a shot at with that #10 pick, depending on what other teams do before us. And honestly, even though I certainly have preferences for some of these players/positions over others, I think a solid case could be made for any of these guys.

Right now...here are our most likely options at the #10 pick (in no particular order)...

OG Chance Warmack / OG Jonathan Cooper
Many scouts are grading Warmack and Cooper about the same, which is to say that they both look like top-10 talents in this draft who will likely slide only because of their position. Warmack is a bit more of a mauler, while Cooper is more of a finesse blocker. I think it's a mistake to dismiss either player from our board with the signings of Levitre and Turner, as the latter is purely a versatile backup in my mind.

From my findings, Warmack is graded #1 by most and Cooper is actually graded closer to Larry Warford than Warmack. Warford is really getting killed this because of the two (3 if you could Fluker) Guards ahead of him. I don't see Cooper as a top 10 talent at all, I think he's like a top-25. As for Warmack, like I've said I'm extremely concerned with him. He played with good overall talent at Alabama, the few times I saw him go 1on1 with smaller DT's, DEs he had a lot of trouble. I am also concerned with his reported lack of intelligence, and also I don't remember ever playing on the right side which could be a concern if the intelligence issues are true.

Quote:

Originally Posted by MicktheGreat

CB Dee Milliner / CB Xavier Rhodes / CB Desmond Trufant
Milliner is grading out as the top CB among scouts, with both Rhodes and Trufant rising lately to the point where all three could potentially be chosen in the first half of Round 1. Having seen Milliner play a lot, he's certainly got skills and is extremely physical; however, he's never struck me as a #1 CB. (To me, he's a very good #2 CB, which we already have with McCourty and Verner.) But right now it's looking like Milliner will probably be gone by #10 anyway, leaving Rhodes and Trufant as more likely CB options there.

Milliner is the only CB worth a top 10 pick, after that I think the other guys are more like top-20 talent. I'd rather wait for CBs because aside from Milliner there's not a lot of difference between the next top ones available, and how they're selected will probably vary by the teams preferences.

Quote:

Originally Posted by MicktheGreat

DE Ziggy Ansah / DE Bjorn Werner
Both Ansah and Werner are talented, high-motor guys who are still raw and relatively new to football. Aside from the freakish measurables and the fact that he's raw, I don't really see the Ansah / Pierre-Paul comparison. To me, Ansah looks much stronger against the run that JPP and not quite as good as a pass-rusher -- though, to be fair, he wasn't asked to rush very often in BYU's system and he's got the athleticism to develop into a pass-rusher in the NFL. Werner has a high ceiling, but how much did his draft stock benefit from the talent around him at FSU? Basically...both are risk-reward picks, although Ansah seems in some ways to be both the "safer" of the two and probably the better fit for the Titans, as we look for someone who can play the early run-downs with Wimbley coming in on pass-rushing situations. However, the reality is that both players could easily be gone by #10.

I really think I am setting myself up for disappointment, because I think Ansah will go to the Lions at 5, unless for some reason they decide to go with an OT like Fisher if he's there, or a pure pass rusher like Jordan.

Quote:

Originally Posted by MicktheGreat

DT Star Lotulelei / DT Sheldon Richardson / DT Sharrif Floyd
The Titans have a young and intriguing DT core with Casey, Martin, Hill, and Klug. However, none of these guys strike me as real "game-changers" in the sense of being guys that opposing coaches have to really account for each week. Thus, f Lotulelei, Richardson, and/or Floyd are sitting there at #10, then I think you have to at least consider them as options. While I like both Floyd and Richardson, neither has the size/speed combination of Star -- who, despite some lingering health concerns and a questionable motor, has that rare Haynesworth-like potential. If we took one of these DTs, could we possible kick Klug out to that run-stuffing DE spot like we tried to do with Jason Jones? Again...something to think about...

I don't think there's a very good possibility of a DT going at #10 unless it's that the Titans traded the pick. As you mentioned the 4 DTs we currently have, and IF we can grab a guy like Ansah or Carradine, they have the possibility of moving inside on passing downs allowing a Wimbley, Ansah, Klug, Ayers combination on 3rd and long I don't see us investing anymore in DT position after drafting guys relatively high in the past 2 years and giving SLH 3.5m a season. And SLH didn't come to the Titans to be a backup, he'll be a starter opposite of Casey.

Quote:

Originally Posted by MicktheGreat

WR Cordarrelle Patterson / S Kenny Vaccarro / OLB Jarvis Jones
These are the "wildcard" picks in my mind. The Titans are clearly concerned about WR, as they've been linked to several FA WRs this offseason. When you consider that both Damien Williams and Kenny Britt are near the end of their contracts and that Nate Washington is highly unlikely to be on-roster after this upcoming season (if he makes it that long), then you can perhaps understand this concern. Even though we've signed both Wilson and Pollard this offseason, neither is a long-term solution at SS; and Griffin could also be gone after next season as well -- which might explain the team's interest in Vaccarro, who is the top-rated safety and someone that we interviewed at the combine. Lastly, Jones was regarded as one of the top 2-3 prospects in this draft until health-concerns became a topic of conversation -- despite the fact that he's been cleared and played last year with his medical condition. (Is his small draft-stock fall a result of OVER-analysis, which we see with some players every draft?) Even though Jones doesn't really fit our current DEF system at all, he at least deserves consideration if he drops to the #10 based on pure game-changing talent and potential.

Patterson is definitely a possibility, although I am not sure he is worth the 10th pick.

Vaccaro is a possibility, and could be a good addition. But with how we signed the guys in FA, I don't know if we take a Safety for the future when we can have players that help now.

Jarvis Jones would be a great addition if we didn't have Akeem Ayers, or if Ayers moved to DE permanently which isn't real likely. I just don't see where he'd fit in because he's not a DE.

From my findings, Warmack is graded #1 by most and Cooper is actually graded closer to Larry Warford than Warmack. Warford is really getting killed this because of the two (3 if you could Fluker) Guards ahead of him. I don't see Cooper as a top 10 talent at all, I think he's like a top-25. As for Warmack, like I've said I'm extremely concerned with him. He played with good overall talent at Alabama, the few times I saw him go 1on1 with smaller DT's, DEs he had a lot of trouble. I am also concerned with his reported lack of intelligence, and also I don't remember ever playing on the right side which could be a concern if the intelligence issues are true.

Before the combine, Cooper was regarded as a top-25 talent. But since the combine, where he apparently showed loads of athleticism, all I've heard is that he's absolutely flying up draft-boards. (He's making a mini Ansah-like ascension of the boards.) From what I've heard, he's closed some of the gap between him and Warmack, while Fluker has dropped a bit. Warford's been holding pretty steady at the top-to-mid 2nd Round, where I think he's a steal. (I'm a big Warford fan too!) Anyway...Cooper's on the rise. In fact about a week or so ago, one of the arguments making the rounds was NOT whether there'd be an OG (i.e. Warmack) drafted in the top-10 but, rather, whether there was a chance there might be TWO OGs (i.e. both Warmack and Cooper) taken in the top-10. Of course, that could all be draft-talk on the part of scouts, GMs, etc. to raise/lower the perceived values of certain players; but it's definitely been floating around out there.

As I've mentioned several times on this board, I'm a big fan of Warmack -- having watched him play pretty much every game that he ever played at Alabama (minus a few of the games vs. low-caliber teams). To me, he's a dominant OL -- very strong, good footwork, and a not-so-nice demeanor. When the Tide needed a big run, he's the guy they seemed to always run behind -- though he didn't always get the in-game coverage as D.J. Fluker (because of his freakish size) or Barrett Jones (because of his versatility and odd backstory). But yeah...Warmack's probably the best blocker that I've watched week-to-week for the Tide, at least in my opinion, and certainly the best blocker since Andre Smith -- who I always thought was going to have to transfer to OG or RT in the pros, which is how it turned out.

Quote:

Originally Posted by mightytitan9

Milliner is the only CB worth a top 10 pick, after that I think the other guys are more like top-20 talent. I'd rather wait for CBs because aside from Milliner there's not a lot of difference between the next top ones available, and how they're selected will probably vary by the teams preferences.

Personally, I agree that Milliner is probably the only CB "worthy" of a top-10 pick -- though, I'm not nearly as high on him as others. (Again...I watched him play pretty much every game at Alabama, and he never struck me as a "dominant" CB but, rather, a "good" #2-caliber CB in the pros.) Still, it seems that others have very high opinions of both Rhodes and Trufant, and those top CB guys always seem to move up boards as the draft approaches. (Not too long ago, I saw a mock with us picking Trufant at #10, for what it's worth. Can't remember where exactly. NFL Network, maybe?)

Quote:

Originally Posted by mightytitan9

I really think I am setting myself up for disappointment, because I think Ansah will go to the Lions at 5, unless for some reason they decide to go with an OT like Fisher if he's there, or a pure pass rusher like Jordan.

Yep...I agree that it's unlikely Ansah drops to us at #10, but I'm going to keep the dream alive for the moment! Unfortunately, I think the Lions have Riley Reiff penciled in as their future left-OT, which means Fisher/Johnson aren't likely to go there. Maybe they go with Milliner since their CBs have been pretty terrible since forever.

Quote:

Originally Posted by mightytitan9

I don't think there's a very good possibility of a DT going at #10 unless it's that the Titans traded the pick. As you mentioned the 4 DTs we currently have, and IF we can grab a guy like Ansah or Carradine, they have the possibility of moving inside on passing downs allowing a Wimbley, Ansah, Klug, Ayers combination on 3rd and long I don't see us investing anymore in DT position after drafting guys relatively high in the past 2 years and giving SLH 3.5m a season. And SLH didn't come to the Titans to be a backup, he'll be a starter opposite of Casey.

I agree that SLH is the projected starter opposite Casey today. That said, while SLH has some talent, he's not the sort of playmaker that prohibits you from taking the BPA on your board, if that guy's there at #10. After all, we just saw the Titans do that last year -- when they took their BPA (Wright) even though it wasn't a position of need and even though both starters were returning. If the Titans think Star's the BPA and he's there, then they'd be foolish not to take him on account of Sammie Lee Hill.

Quote:

Originally Posted by mightytitan9

Patterson is definitely a possibility, although I am not sure he is worth the 10th pick. Vaccaro is a possibility, and could be a good addition. But with how we signed the guys in FA, I don't know if we take a Safety for the future when we can have players that help now. Jarvis Jones would be a great addition if we didn't have Akeem Ayers, or if Ayers moved to DE permanently which isn't real likely. I just don't see where he'd fit in because he's not a DE.

Totally, totally agree with you on pretty much everything here. Patterson's got skills, but I'm wary of his lack of experience. Plus, I'm a bit tired of us drafting a WR in the first 2 rounds every year. (That's funny because we all used to complain about the Titans NOT drafting early-round WRs and now they can't seem to do anything but that. Ha!) I'm also not really wanting to take Vaccaro there, but the team did talk to him -- which shows that they're at least interested in the possibility. And yep...Jones is an intriguing player, but we don't run a 3-4 defense sadly.

All of this is to say that this draft is shaping up to be VERY exciting, as we could realistically go in about a million directions! Of course, they'll likely do the last thing that we expect and draft MLB Manti Te'o with that pick. :-(

I'd actually be pretty disappointed if we picked a guard at 10. Starter worthy guards are not difficult to find in the middle rounds and we already invested a lot in Levitre in FA. To add the 10th pick to that would be investing a ton in a position that really isn't really that highly valued. Not to mention what we already have invested in Roos and Stewart.

This is kind of a disappointing draft with the 10th pick, the only player I really like-Ansah, probably won't even be there.

He's my guy too, but I won't be upset with a few of those other guys.

Bjoern is not top 10 talent imo, but if there's no trade down, what do you do?He fits a need, may just have to take what we can get.

Our DT depth is good, but Floyd, Star, or Richardson could be difference makes. Some thought the Giants were crazy for constantly drafting DE's high, but I think the more talent of the d-line the better. I think with some different types of DT's, we could run some different formations and try to make some mismatches.

I like Milliner, haven't really seen the other top guys. But if they look solid, I can't argue against a CB.

I like Warmack, but I'm so-so on Cooper. I don't like G value at 10, but otoh the line would hopefully be solidified.

Patterson is a luxury, but I'd be ok with it. Who knows Britt's future. Washington's days are probably numbered. Damian is probably no more than a solid #3. Wright didn't make a huge rookie splash, not sure he's a big time #1 type (still ok with the pick though).

We may not be set up for the perfect scenario, but I see many ways we could end up with a solid starter regardless. And rookies are paid much less now, a top 10 pick isn't as scary anymore.

Our DT depth is good, but Floyd, Star, or Richardson could be difference makes. Some thought the Giants were crazy for constantly drafting DE's high, but I think the more talent of the d-line the better. I think with some different types of DT's, we could run some different formations and try to make some mismatches.

My only argument with this is that to me DTs are not as valuable as DEs. I think this is usually the Titans philosophy as they've taken one DT in round one in the history of the franchise. Difference makers at DTs don't have to be first round picks. And I think some Titans fans even underestimate just how good Jurrell Casey is after only his 2nd season, he's already a top 10 DT in the league, and Mike Martin played extremely well as a rookie.

I believe having talent on the D-Line is the one most important thing you can do in the NFL, but the Giants never invested first round selections at the DT position, they only took one DT in the first round in 2003 and he didn't play a game in their first super bowl run and was off the team by the 2nd.

What truly set up the Giants first run is that they kept adding depth thru the draft in the 2-3rd round at the DE position. Osi was a 2nd rounder, Justin Tuck was a 3rd rounder, Matthias Kiwanuka, who Is a LBer but plays DE on passing downs as well, was a late first, then in 2010 they took JPP which helped lead them to their 2nd championship.

DTs can be had in the middle rounds, and as Jacksonville and Minnesota showed us for all those years, you can have one of the best DTs tandems in the NFL but if you don't have DEs it doesn't really matter. The Lions are in risk of this happening to them. The difference between the Vikings defense before Jared Allen and after is enormous. The old Rams coaches really set Fisher up by drafting Robert Quinn and Chris Long, once the team had those two guys then they went and addressed the DT position. The Bengals were 3rd in the league in sacks, which is pretty amazing considering the picks they've invested in that line. Sure they've invested on average 2-3 picks a year the past couple years on it, but they've all been 2-4th rounders.

People remember what Al did for our DEs, but our best years of defenses were when we had already established Jevon Kearse and Kevin Carter at the DE positions. Only once those two were in place did they address the DT position. For years there were guys like Jason Fisk, Thornton etc on the interior line, who were fine players. But system role players. That's all you need at DT, if they can develop into more than that it's great (like the Bengals hit a home run with Atkins)

At this point, I see Floyd being a great 4-3 DT. Star I don't know if he translates to the NFL in the 43 Defense. Richardson is a great player, but I don't see him being the difference maker.

So I was just doing a little thinking (dangerous, I know) and was wondering....

Since we now have a more than capable backup to CJ in Shonn Greene, anyone think we might try and snag Marcus Lattimore at some point? Maybe with our 3rd round comp. pick or our 4th rounder? We would be able to bring him along slowly. Seems like an intriguing low-risk/high reward scenario.

So I was just doing a little thinking (dangerous, I know) and was wondering....

Since we now have a more than capable backup to CJ in Shonn Greene, anyone think we might try and snag Marcus Lattimore at some point? Maybe with our 3rd round comp. pick or our 4th rounder? We would be able to bring him along slowly. Seems like an intriguing low-risk/high reward scenario.

This could be a possibility. Munch actually has two years left on his contract, and if we show any promise this season I think he'll get that additional year.

With that said, I think Munch is still in "win now" philosophy so I don't know if he's going to be looking at a risk, high reward RB when we've already got 2 RBs signed thru the next 3 seasons.

My only argument with this is that to me DTs are not as valuable as DEs.

Although I'm generally going to go with DE over DT, I still can see adding a DT if no worthy DE is available. From watching Mingo and Jordan, I don't see the hype. I don't know if we'd even invest in guys that light in the pants in the first place. Ziggy and Werner are the only two I see who are arguably worth #10.

Sure the Giants went the DE route, but also some of those guys rush from the inside. We can use pass rush wherever we can get it, collapsing the inside will only help our DE's. I kinda doubt we get it from SLH, I think he will be more of a space eater. Casey is average there imo. I think Martin could be better than those two at it, but we haven't seen much of him doing that, it's more wishful thinking at this point. Klug struggled most of last year, although I still think he can do it. But we have seen one year flukes.

I'm not betting on any of those guys helping enough to bring our D to the level it was when we had Haynes and Brown in the middle. I'm throwing Brown in because I think he was a bit underrated. We have guys who can be as disruptive as Brown, but there's no one I see on Al's level who will demand more attention from opposing offenses. Some of the the DT's we can pick have the potential to be able to be very disruptive and add to the pass rush from the inside. I think Star is most like Al. A guy like Sheldon is disruptive inside and I can see playing DE too as he has done before. Floyd looks to be a perfect one gap 3 technique guy. Add any of these guys to the rotation and I think we could have one of the best interior d-lines in the league which should help Wimbly, Morgan, and Ayers get better production.

Obviously as much as I've talked about DE's I think we need a DE at least for depth if we don't get a guy at 10. Could Moore slide to our 2nd? Or maybe a trade up to get him? If Tank Carradine looks like he'll fully recover, it's arguable that that is our best hope outside of 10. Maybe we can trade up for him as well. My most realistic hope is Okafor drops to our 2nd round pick. I'm a little iffy on Hunt, but he may have a bit higher ceiling. Past that there are still several guys I like for depth.